The present invention relates to a sole component for an article of footwear and a method for making the sole component.
There is an ongoing effort in the footwear industry to produce footwear that provides durability and a high level of comfort, while maintaining a sense of style. As the styles change, so must the methods of manufacturing the shoes. However, such changes can and often do result in manufacturing difficulties.
Many of today's shoes include either a partial or complete toe cover, such that the toe of the shoe in encompassed at least partially by sole material. The primary difficulty with toe cover constructions is how the toe cover can be formed and attached via machinery. For example, in one construction the toe cover is formed as an integral part of the outsole. In this construction, the outsole extends the full length of the shoe and includes a heel cup at the rear of the shoe and a toe cover at the front of the shoe. Given the undercut nature of the toe cover, this sole cannot be manufactured using a conventional mold with a single moving mold part because the toe cover would entrap a portion of the mold preventing its removal from the mold.
A number of efforts have been made to improve on the conventional construction described above. In another conventional construction, a clog is provided with a molded midsole and an outsole attached to the midsole. In this construction, the toe cover is integrated into the midsole, rather than the outsole. The midsole is manufactured in a single molding step from lightweight elastomeric material, which is pliable, flexible and easily removed from the molding equipment. The outsole is made of multiple parts that are affixed to the midsole. The parts of the outsole may be formed of harder materials in the areas of greatest wear.
In yet another construction, both the sole and midsole are provided with toe covers. In this construction, the outsole is manufactured using a relatively complex multi-part mold. This permits the outsole to be removed from the mold in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the outsole. The midsole is formed from multiple sections that are fitted into the outsole and affixed to one another. The use of multiple midsole sections may avoid the need for complex multi-part molding equipment for the midsole. Once assembled, the outsole hides the seam where the midsole sections are affixed to one another.